november 2023 featured Article
The First 90 Days
This month marks 90 days since I began this privilege of serving you and your church as president of the Missionary Church. On one hand, that time has flown by. On the other hand, it feels like three years rather than three months because of all that has already happened!
So, I want to take this opportunity to break from the usual devotional thought that is shared here and give you some updates and news from our leadership teams and from our national office.
First, as we finalize our budget for 2024, we have made a shift in our funding model to better support World Partners. Back in May of this year, the World Partners directors shared with the General Oversight Council that our missionary fees had climbed as high as 19% for some missionaries, one of the highest among missions agencies. On top of this, while each of our member churches commit to giving 2% of their annual income to denominational ministries through what we call the Investment in Shared Ministries (ISM), many new pastors and churches are not aware that when their church gives their 2%, it has traditionally stayed in the US with none of those dollars earmarked for World Partners. This was an intentional strategy in the earlier days of our denomination to keep our “assessments” low — this 2% is far lower than most denominations — so that churches would then give directly to missionaries and World Partners in addition to their 2%. While that remains true, we want to do our part as a denomination to support missionaries; after all, it is in our name! So I am excited that in the 2024 budget we have committed to tithing to World Partners missionaries 10% of everything your church gives to ISM. This will go directly to missionaries and not to administrative costs or overhead! This has allowed us to lower all of our missionaries’ fees to a flat 10%, which is now one of the best rates among missions agencies! A huge thanks goes to the General Oversight Council and the national office staff for working hard and working together to make this happen.
In addition to this, we will also be giving almost 5% of ISM to Bethel University. Much of this will go to general support, while the rest will go to a new scholarship started this year that grants $2,000 from the denomination to every ministry major student from a Missionary Church congregation. This is to encourage students at your church to consider Bethel and to consider going into the ministry fields so that we can raise up and train our next generation of leaders. Bethel has also reestablished their own Missionary Church scholarship, which provides at least $1,500 per year to every student from a Missionary Church congregation, regardless of major! This means Missionary Church students, on average, will receive academic and denominational scholarships that cover close to 50% of their tuition costs, with even more assistance available through Bethel’s financial aid office. Make sure the students in your church know about this and apply before December 1 (for free!) to see what else Bethel might be able to offer.
Second, I am very excited to let you know that Missionary Church has just received full accreditation and full membership to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). This is incredible because only 35% of organizations receive this on their first application. This also means that in addition to our annual audits, we will also submit ourselves to being reviewed annually by the ECFA and to following their seven standards for financial stewardship and integrity. We committed to you at SHIFT to take steps to ensure financial accountability, and I am proud of our leadership teams and staff for working so hard to accomplish this so quickly.
Please know that I am committed to doing all that I can to ensure that when you or your church gives to the Missionary Church, you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is being stewarded well. I am also committed to continuing to lead us toward ensuring that as much of what churches give to ISM goes directly to ministry causes. Last week your church should have received your quarterly giving statement to ensure that our records are accurate and so your church can prayerfully consider how you can fulfill your church’s commitment to give 2% to ISM and can also consider supporting World Partners and the incredible missionary work happening all around the world.
In addition to all of this, these past three months have been busy! Below are some highlights:
Prayer Awakening, our annual national prayer conference, was a powerful time with more than 200 leaders gathering for two days to pray.
We have increased communication directly to pastors through text message updates that I send from time to time. Be sure to sign up here if you are not receiving those!
We have also increased our social media presence to share the stories of what God is doing in and through our family of churches. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date and to know how you can be praying!
In the aftermath of the devastating fires in Hawaii, we partnered with our Pacific Rim Region to call our churches to a national day of prayer and giving. More than $70,000 was given! This was used to purchase 102 air purifiers for every home in a native community of Lahaina in addition to security lighting and supplies that were also provided. This has opened up the door for many Gospel conversations and discipling relationships.
The first Missionary Church Day at Bethel University was a huge success with more than 80 pastors and leaders from the denomination spending a day together at Bethel worshipping in chapel, attending classes, and getting to know the staff and faculty.
I was able to attend the Building Bridges Regional Network conference as well as the Eastern Region annual conference. Wow! God is doing AMAZING things in these regions! New churches are starting, new leaders are being raised up and ordained, creative ministries are meeting needs and sharing Jesus, and disciple multiplication is happening in powerful ways!
I have been working to get to know our national office staff. Each chance I get to spend time with one of them I am amazed at their heart to serve you and our churches, and I am amazed at the ministry taking place in so many creative ways. Remember to pray for them.
The Ministry Leadership Council spent two days together with some incredibly powerful prayer times and discussions, centered on clarifying and defining our shared purpose and vision for the future. We will continue this work as we ask the Holy Spirit to clearly show us where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do — together.
I look forward to giving you these quarterly updates so that you can know all that God is doing around our nation and around our world. It is because of you that we can celebrate these things! When you pray, when you serve, and when your church gives, you are so much more than part of a denomination. You are part of a family of churches that is seeing God do something so incredible that only HE can get the credit for it!